Shaheen Bagh residents see divisive agenda behind SDMC’s demolition drive
The Hindu
It was a routine exercise, there was no plan to disrupt peace in the area, said an SDMC official
NEW DELHI:
Syed Farhan, a Shaheen Bagh resident, observed the lone bulldozer brought by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) to his locality on Monday morning with great interest. “For a long time, the officials stood still with the bulldozer trying to spot an encroachment,” Farhan told The Hindu.
All the ‘encroachments’ by street vendors and small establishments had been removed three days earlier, he said, as soon as the word about the scheduled demolition drive spread in the locality.
About Monday’s developments Mr. Farhan added, “After many hours, the officials directed the bulldozer towards a temporary scaffolding. Many locals came forward and removed it themselves. Following this, the SDMC people left the spot.”
While the South civic body did not carry out any ‘anti-encroachment’ activity in the area on Monday, which was part of the ‘massive’ demolition drive promised by Mayor Mukesh Suryan last month, the presence of police personnel and a bulldozer ended up infuriating many locals here who saw a divisive agenda at play in the entire exercise.
“In a city like Delhi, it is common for municipalities to go after makeshift stalls and for the vendors to pack up and flee. It’s a cat and mouse game that we have seen been played many times over. But what is worrying is the manner in which specific areas and communities are being targeted through such drives,” said Mohammad Abuzar Chaudhary, a social activist and local resident.
He said the anti-encroachment drives were creating an environment of fear among poor Muslim families living in these areas in deplorable conditions.
The All-India level NEET examination was started a few years ago to counter complaints of corruption during the joint entrance examinations held at the State level. AIDSO had warned the authorities that the solution to the menace of corruption was not changing the examination system, but to investigate the corruption and punish the guilty.